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155-701: The Saw Mill serves as an important connection from the Taconic State Parkway to the Tappan Zee Bridge and New York State Thruway . It is an expressway , but not a freeway as several of its exits are signalized at-grade intersections . The Saw Mill River Parkway is inventoried by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) as New York State Route 987D ( NY 987D ), an unsigned reference route designation. The Saw Mill River Parkway begins at

310-718: A concurrency with I-287 and the road widens to six lanes as it passes between the Ramapo Valley County Reservation to the west and business parks to the east. Upon entering New York in the village of Hillburn in the town of Ramapo in Rockland County, New York , New Jersey's Route 17 ends and NY 17 follows I-287 as the road comes to an interchange with the New York State Thruway ( I-87 ). At this point, NY 17 splits north onto I-87 and I-287 joins I-87 on

465-520: A $ 187-million (equivalent to $ 307 million in 2023 ) reconstruction in 2001 in order to add additional lanes and rebuild overpasses and underpasses. Reconstruction in this area was completed in May 2004. In 2016, the Tappan Zee Bridge toll plaza was demolished and replaced with an electronic toll gantry on the west side. The Spring Valley toll plaza went all-electronic in 2018. Plans for

620-886: A ceremony held on the Wanaque River bridge, where New Jersey Governor James Florio cut the ribbon. This moment marked the completion of a bypass around New York City that had been planned for decades. The portion of I-287 between the US ;202 interchange in Oakland and the Route ;208 interchange in Franklin Lakes overtook the westernmost portion of Route 208, truncating that route to its current location. The completion of I-287 in New Jersey had significant effects on traffic and development patterns in

775-753: A dart to the northwest, the Saw Mill River Parkway crosses under the Cross Westchester Expressway (I-287). While there is no ramp northbound, Exit 22 forks southbound to the westbound Cross Westchester. Crossing back into Greenburgh, the Saw Mill River Parkway continues northwest away from the Saw Mill River. After turning northbound, the parkway enters the Eastview section of Greenburgh, reaching Exit 23, which serves Old Saw Mill River Road. Exit 23

930-699: A dog were killed when a small SOCATA TBM 700 airplane en route to Georgia crashed on the highway near exit 33 in Morris Township. In August 2007, NJDOT started the I-287 (Middlesex Freeway) Rehabilitation Project to resurface the pavement between exit 5 in South Plainfield and I-95/New Jersey Turnpike in Edison Township, which is used by about 150,000 vehicles daily. Some of the bridges and overpasses had deteriorated to such

1085-586: A drive just for the fun of it" and "unquestionably among the most scenic roadways in the Northeast, winding along the Hudson Valley with a painter's eye for landscape and a gearhead's idea of fun." The Lonely Planet New York State guidebook calls it a "highway masterpiece". The parkway's engineering principles evolved over the four decades it took to build, with northern sections reflecting improvements in construction technology and lessons learned from

1240-745: A half mile (0.80 km) north of that exit, northbound traffic can also exit, and southbound traffic enters, at Pines Bridge Road. The roadways grow far apart over the next mile before coming together again at the NY ;134 exit, as Turkey Mountain , one of the Manhattan Hills, looms ahead. The Taconic then enters Yorktown , the last town along the Taconic in Westchester County, and split again until they are 1,500 feet (460 m) apart, with neighborhoods and houses between them, to

1395-579: A limited-access road to cross Westchester County east to west date back to the 1920s and became more needed after post- World War II traffic increases. When the Tappan Zee Bridge was proposed around 1950, the Cross Westchester Expressway was becoming a more realistic idea. Construction of the freeway began in 1956, and was given the NY ;119 designation. The design of the highway met Interstate Highway standards after opening and

1550-654: A long curve to the east and back. At Nine Partners Road, the Taconic is back on a northward heading as it slips east of the Stanford town line. It begins to climb onto the high ground between the Hudson and the Taconic Mountains to the east. To the west there are occasional glimpses across the river valley to the Catskill Escarpment to the west. From here the parkway bends eastward again, entering

1705-636: A low budget of only $ 81 million (equivalent to $ 719 million in 2023 ). Unlike other major bridges in the New York metropolitan area , the Tappan Zee was designed to last only 50 years. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a report in October 2011 designating the Tappan Zee's replacement to be dual- span twin bridges . Construction officially began in October 2013, with

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1860-503: A more northeasterly course, paralleled by US Route 202 (US 202). The northernmost part of I-287 in New Jersey passes through mountainous surroundings. Upon entering New York at Suffern , I-287 turns east on the New York State Thruway ( I-87 ) and runs through Rockland County. After crossing the Hudson River on the Tappan Zee Bridge , I-287 splits from I-87 near Tarrytown and continues east through Westchester County on

2015-630: A now-closed overlook on the eastern side, with the two roadways 500 feet (150 m) apart in the densely wooded country, signs on both roadways mark the Taconic's highest elevation, almost 1,200 feet (370 m) above sea level. A short distance beyond that, a stone bridge marks the NY 301 exit that serves as the main access to the state park and the bathing area and hiking trails at nearby Canopus Lake . The parkway begins to descend again, entering its last Putnam County town, Kent . It bends east again, and within two miles (3.2 km) it crosses into Dutchess County . Continuing its easterly slant,

2170-527: A result of community opposition and environmental concerns. Ownership of the Cross Westchester Expressway was transferred from the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to the NYSTA in 1990 to help relieve the state's budget issues. On July 27, 1994, a propane truck crashed into an overpass on the Cross Westchester Expressway in White Plains and exploded, killing the driver. The fire from

2325-451: A short distance to the west. The freeway makes a turn more to the east as it comes to a truck-only rest area in the northbound direction. The road crosses into Morris Township , where it reaches an exit-only interchange with Harter Road; there are no entrances present. Shortly after Harter Road, there is a junction with CR 663 (James Street) that only has entrances to I-287. After this, I-287 turns north and enters Morristown , where

2480-649: A state that they needed to be replaced. On September 16, 2009, NJDOT announced the start of another rehabilitation and repaving project from exit 5 in Piscataway to the area of exit 10 in Franklin Township. This project, which was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 , cost $ 29 million (equivalent to $ 40 million in 2023 ) and was finished by April 2011. The New York State Thruway portion of I-287

2635-441: A steep ridge, narrowing to less than 100 feet (30 m), with a high stone retaining wall along the east side, to Peekskill Hollow Creek and the exit for the similarly named road, briefly entering the town of Carmel in the process. It starts to climb again just past the exit, and 1 ⁄ 2 mile (0.80 km) to the north it goes into an S-curved section with both segments having extremely narrow radii. The Taconic moves to

2790-626: A turn to the northeast, crossing back into Morris Township before continuing into Hanover Township . Here, the route comes to the western terminus of the Route ;24 freeway and becomes ten lanes total. Following Route 24, the freeway passes over the Morristown and Erie Railway 's Whippany Line before it intersects Route 10 and becomes nine lanes, with five southbound and four northbound. I-287 passes near several business parks as it enters Parsippany–Troy Hills . In this area, there

2945-559: A turn to the west and runs to the north of US 22 as it has a wide median. The freeway turns northwest as it passes near the Bridgewater Commons shopping mall and reaches a partial interchange with US 202 / US 206 . Through the remainder of New Jersey, US 202 parallels the course of I-287. At this point, I-287 gains a local–express lane configuration, with three local and two express lanes southbound and three express and three local lanes northbound. Both

3100-481: A wide valley carved by a tributary of the Hudson, the first place where the road begins to respond to the increasing relief of the landscape. The Taconic then passes through undeveloped woods, part of another local park, and under a footbridge carrying a hiking trail. Curving northeast, the exits for NY 132 and US 6 (recently improved), with residences on either side of the parkway, herald Shrub Oak and Jefferson Valley . A short distance past that exit,

3255-609: Is a cloverleaf interchange with the Hutchinson River Parkway . At this interchange, the Westchester Avenue frontage road serves as a collector–distributor road . The Cross Westchester Expressway turns southeast again past wooded areas of development, with NY 120 coming onto the Westchester Avenue frontage road. I-287 reaches an interchange where the frontage road ends as Westchester Avenue heads east as NY 120A and NY 120 continues to

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3410-615: Is an interchange with CR 511 east of Lake Parsippany that also has access to Entin Road in the southbound direction. After this, I-287 widens to eleven lanes with five northbound lanes, two express southbound lanes, and four local southbound lanes as it comes to the I-80 junction. Following this interchange, the freeway becomes six lanes, with three in each direction as it continues into more wooded areas and reaching an exit with access to US 46 and US 202/CR 511. In this area,

3565-516: Is followed by Hearst Street at Exit 10 and Tompkins Avenue at Exit 11. Just north of Exit 11, the Saw Mill River Parkway crosses the city line and enters the town of Hastings-on-Hudson . In Hastings-on-Hudson, the Saw Mill enters Exit 12, an at-grade interchange with the southern terminus of Farragut Parkway (NY 987J). The next exit, designated Exit 13, is a right-in/right-out interchange with Farragut Avenue on both sides of

3720-466: Is home to the Somerset Patriots baseball team. Past this area, the road encounters Route 28 at an interchange. Past Route 28, the freeway turns northwest and passes over Norfolk Southern Railway 's Middle Brook Industrial Track line before it intersects US 22 at a partial interchange with a northbound exit and entrance and southbound entrance. From this point, I-287 makes

3875-733: Is maintained by the NYSTA, is six lanes wide and carries I-287 east to a westbound exit for NY 119 that is intertwined with the ramps between the New York State Thruway and NY 119/Saw Mill River Parkway. After passing over the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Saw Mill River , the road enters the village of Elmsford and runs through developed areas as it has a partial diamond interchange with NY 9A that does not have an eastbound exit. The Cross Westchester Expressway turns southeast from this point and intersects

4030-457: Is on the west side, with the downtown area on the east. It is the only densely developed community the road goes through rather than near. After crossing under the stone arch bridge carrying Legion Drive over the parkway, the first of many such rustic overpasses, the Taconic begins a long section going past Gate of Heaven Cemetery and paralleling the railroad tracks past the small Mount Pleasant Metro-North train station, built to allow access to

4185-761: Is signed north–south in New Jersey and east–west in New York, follows a roughly horseshoe-shaped route from the New Jersey Turnpike ( I-95 ) in Edison, New Jersey , clockwise to the New England Thruway ( I-95 ) in Rye, New York , for 98.72 miles (158.87 km). Through New Jersey, I-287 runs west from its southern terminus in Edison through suburban areas. In Bridgewater Township , the freeway takes

4340-400: Is similar to that in northern Dutchess, with more views opening up in the north as the road levels out. The surrounding farms and woods get more extensive. After entering the county, the Taconic continues due north through the town of Gallatin through unbroken woods. It bends slightly to the intersection with CR 8 to pass the beach at Lake Taghkanic State Park , with the access road for

4495-713: Is the last before the Thruway tolls at the end of the road. The last exit for Rock City Road is open only to southbound traffic, allowing commercial vehicles that have ventured onto the parkway to exit. A toll gantry for exit B2 on the Berkshire Section of the New York State Thruway ( I-90 ), marks the administrative end of the Taconic State Parkway, 104 miles (167 km) from Kensico Circle. Landscape architects such as Gilmore Clarke worked closely with engineers and construction crews during

4650-476: Is the notion of engineering as an art form that can in some way embellish or even improve upon nature: there is no radical disjuncture here but a sense of aesthetic progression and purity of form. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, with sections of the road modified from its original design and the rest areas mostly gone, writers for The New York Times have variously described the Taconic as "a pleasure to use, evoking those bygone days when people went for

4805-498: Is the only interchange in Greenburgh as the parkway proceeds into the town of Mount Pleasant . In Mount Pleasant, the parkway enters Exit 25 northbound, a small ramp to NY 9A (Saw Mill River Road). Crossing over the Saw Mill River once again, the parkway winds northeast into Exit 26 near an overpass of NY 9A and NY 100 (Saw Mill River Road). Exit 26, just to the east of NY 9A/NY 100, services

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4960-688: The Bronx – Westchester line in Van Cortlandt Park as a continuation of the Henry Hudson Parkway . The Saw Mill River winds northward and parallels a former railroad grade into Yonkers . Now in the Southeast Yonkers section, southbound there is a ramp to McLean Avenue . Passing Tibbetts Lake, the Saw Mill River winds northward alongside the railroad grade as a six-lane freeway as it enters Exit 4, which serves as

5115-769: The Cross Westchester Expressway until it reaches the New England Thruway. Within New Jersey, I-287 is maintained by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), and, within New York, it is maintained by the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA). A bypass around New York City had been planned since the 1950s and would become a part of the Interstate Highway System and receive the I-287 designation. The Cross Westchester Expressway, which

5270-491: The Hudson Highlands , Catskills and Taconic regions. The bridges and now-closed service areas were designed to be aesthetically pleasing. It has been praised for the beauty of not only the surrounding landscape and views it offers, but the way the road itself integrates with and presents them. It was completed in its present form in the early 1960s. In 2005, the entire highway, including its supporting structures,

5425-481: The NY 23 exit near the hamlet of Martindale. It bends from the northerly heading back to the northeast to cross into Philmont over the next three miles (4.8 km), where NY 217 comes to its eastern terminus at the exit with the Taconic. Past a rise beyond that exit, there are scenic overlook parking areas on both sides of the highway with panoramic views west to the Catskills. The road curves into

5580-646: The New Jersey Turnpike ( I-95 ) in Edison in Middlesex County, New Jersey , where the freeway continues east as Route 440 toward Perth Amboy and Staten Island . Within Middlesex County, I-287 is called the Lt. Col. (Ret) Richard F. Lauer, US Army Highway. From this point, it heads west as an eight-lane freeway through suburban areas, soon reaching an interchange with US 1 that also has access to County Route 531 (CR 531) in

5735-466: The Pequannock River and New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway 's New Jersey Subdivision line into Bloomingdale , Passaic County , where the highway becomes US Air Force Gunner Clarence "Red" Mosley Highway. The road continues northeast and turns north as it briefly passes through Pompton Lakes before crossing into Wanaque . Here, the road makes a turn northeast again as it comes to

5890-611: The Pleasantville Metro-North station. The Saw Mill River Parkway and the Harlem Line parallel once again in the northern reaches of Pleasantville, paralleling the Saw Mill River into the town of New Castle . Now in the hamlet of Chappaqua , Exit 32 accesses NY 120 at Mill River Road. Nearby this interchange is the Chappaqua Metro-North station. After crossing under NY 120,

6045-584: The Sprain Brook Parkway . I-287 widens to eight lanes at this junction and continues to the exit for NY 100A . After the NY 100A interchange, the freeway leaves Elmsford and turns to the east near residential areas, narrowing to six lanes before coming to an exit for NY 100 and NY 119 that also has access to the Bronx River Parkway . Following this exit, the road becomes eight lanes again and crosses over

6200-471: The State Senate in 1910, Roosevelt had toured the district in a car, still not common in the area, the first candidate to do so. He became more interested in the possibilities of automobile touring ten years later when, paralysis resulting from polio having cost the effective use of his legs, Roosevelt began frequently taking his friends on such trips around the region. During them, he began pondering

6355-633: The Taconic or the TSP ) is a 104.12-mile (167.56 km) limited-access parkway between Kensico Dam and Chatham , the longest in the U.S. state of New York . It follows a generally north–south route midway between the Hudson River and the Connecticut and Massachusetts state lines, much of its upper section along the westernmost flank of the Taconic Mountains . It is open only to passenger vehicles, as with other parkways in New York, and maintained by

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6510-695: The Taconic State Parkway and Sprain Brook Parkway in the center of Graham Hills County Park via several flyover ramps. Just to the southeast of the interchange is the Hawthorne Metro-North Railroad station. The Saw Mill River Parkway crosses northeast through Graham Hills County Park, paralleling the Harlem Line and NY 141 through Mount Pleasant. The parkway passes west of the former Thornwood station before turning northwest and away from NY 141. Just after

6665-406: The Taconic State Parkway by way of NY 22. The freeway runs past commercial areas to the east of downtown White Plains as it encounters Westchester Avenue, which connects to NY 119, NY 127 , and Anderson Hill Road as well as The Westchester shopping mall in the downtown area. Within this interchange, the Cross Westchester Expressway turns east along the border between Harrison to

6820-539: The US Army Corps of Engineers . Officials in Rockland County, New York filed a lawsuit on November 19, 1993, hours before the highway's official ribbon-cutting, seeking to block its opening. They claimed the incomplete interchange with the New York State Thruway was inadequate to handle the additional traffic. That interchange was not complete until 1994, but the highway opened as planned on November 19 in

6975-495: The 1940s. The Taconic's character changes with its surroundings. In the busy suburbs of its first few miles, it is a narrow at-grade roadway, paralleling a commuter rail line through a small downtown. Soon after that, it becomes a wide divided highway, with median strips and gentle turn radii similar to an Interstate Highway carrying much commuter traffic. In the Hudson Highlands , it narrows again as it curves back and forth and climbs up and down quickly to its highest point. When

7130-543: The 25¢ toll between exits 3 and 4, which was originally implemented by Westchester County in 1936, was removed on October 31, 1994, with the last toll collected just before midnight. The tolls were abolished on the Saw Mill River and Hutchinson River parkways in November 1994. The entire route is in Westchester County . Taconic State Parkway The Taconic State Parkway (often called

7285-635: The Bronx River Parkway, the Bronx River , and Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line . Here, the road crosses into White Plains and reaches an interchange with NY 22 . Past NY 22, I-287 makes a sharp curve to the south as it narrows to six lanes and runs near inhabited neighborhoods. The road has a westbound exit and eastbound entrance with the Central Westchester Parkway , a road that provides access to

7440-625: The CR ;511 Alternate interchange. After this, I-287 passes through rock cuts in the Ramapo Mountains before making a sharp turn east as it crosses high above the Wanaque River valley on a bridge. The freeway continues into Oakland , Bergen County , where the name becomes Army Staff Sergeant Walter Bray Highway. Here, there are a couple of businesses near the road before the interchange with Skyline Drive . Following this,

7595-430: The HOV lane. The proposed HOV lane was cancelled in 1997 by Governor George Pataki out of the fear it would have negative effects on the area in trying to solve traffic. Since 1999, the Cross Westchester Expressway has been under construction in order to reduce congestion and improve safety for the motorists who use the highway. The final phase of the project, a reconstruction in the area of exit 8 in White Plains,

7750-412: The Hudson at its second-widest point. Before its replacement in 2017, the deteriorating structure carried an average of 138,000 vehicles per day, substantially more traffic than its designed capacity. During its first decade, the bridge carried fewer than 40,000 vehicles per day. Part of the justification for replacing the bridge stems from its construction immediately following the Korean War on

7905-483: The I-287 bypass of New York City and I-95 south to Pennsylvania . On July 16, 1999, Governor Christine Todd Whitman banned oversize trucks from using roads that are not part of the National Highway System , such as Route 31. Trucks were therefore forced to use I-287 and the New Jersey Turnpike to travel across the state. In the 1990s, high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV lanes) were built along I-287 between Bedminster and Parsippany. These HOV lanes, along with

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8060-413: The Interstate Highway, the parkway bends to the northwest and starts to assume the character it retains through most of Dutchess County, with a wider, intermittently cleared median and gentler turns (their radii reaching almost 23,000 feet (7,000 m), more than twice that of the widest curve in Putnam County ), taking it through the now lower hills. There are still no shoulders. A closed rest area sits in

8215-505: The New Jersey Turnpike in Edison and US 202 in Montville opened in stages between the 1960s and 1973; the remainder was completed by 1994. The aging Tappan Zee Bridge was replaced with a new span which opened in stages between 2017 and 2018. A proposed tunnel across the Long Island Sound between Rye and Oyster Bay on Long Island would link the eastern terminus of I-287 to New York State Route 25 (NY 25) and NY 135 in Syosset . I-287 begins at an interchange with

8370-453: The New York State Thruway in Suffern, New York , was controversial dating back to 1965 and continuing until its opening in 1993. Property owners along the proposed route fought its completion as part of the freeway revolts of the 1960s and 1970s. Originally, I-287 was proposed to take a more eastern route through the Lincoln Park and Wayne areas; this routing gained opposition as it passed through populated areas. A more western alignment

8525-530: The New York border. The anticipated cost of building I-287 in New Jersey was $ 235 million (equivalent to $ 2.09 billion in 2023 ). The southernmost part of I-287 in Middlesex County was intended to be signed as part of I-95 instead; this never happened due to the cancellation of the Somerset Freeway . By the mid-1960s, I-287 had been completed between the New Jersey Turnpike and Bedminster and from US 46 in Parsippany to US 202 in Montville. More of I-287 in New Jersey had been finished by 1969, with

8680-509: The Saw Mill River Parkway parallels the Thruway and the river before turning northeast and crossing into Greenburgh and Exit 20. Exit 20 serves the New York State Thruway northbound via a flyover ramp . After Exit 20, the Saw Mill River Parkway proceeds northeast on a parallel of NY 9A. Continuing alongside the namesake river, the parkway leaves Greenburgh for Elmsford , entering Exit 21E and Exit 21W, which services NY 119 (Main Street) via separate ramps. After

8835-497: The Taconic "as lovely an integration of highway engineering and landscape architecture as one could hope to find". Commenting on this years later, architecture critic Matthew Gandy wrote: Clarke's design for the Taconic State Parkway, for example, provides a vivid example of a new kind of mediation among nature, technology and society, with what appears to be a delicate balance between the new infrastructural project and an imaginary natural order. Implicit within this aesthetic dialectic

8990-411: The Taconic New York State's longest parkway. The Taconic begins at Kensico Circle, just south of Kensico Dam , in the town of North Castle , also the northern terminus of the Bronx River Parkway . The roadway here is a narrow, four-lane expressway . It curves northwest to a traffic light at Cleveland Street in the hamlet of Valhalla . The Valhalla station on Metro-North Railroad 's Harlem Line

9145-454: The Taconic starts leveling out in Dutchess County, the largest county segment of any of the four counties along the road, entering the town of East Fishkill . Just south of the Miller Hill Road exit, the first in the county, the road widens, with grassy slopes on its east side. At this point the hills farther north are visible in the distance, and the valley to the west, between Hosner and Shenandoah mountains, opens up occasional scenic vistas to

9300-508: The Taconic's construction, often on site. Some features of the road's design address practical considerations and increase safety. Curves that climbed or descended were banked to increase vehicle traction and permit better drainage. Likewise the curves in undulating terrain are located to reduce blind spots at crests and keep the sharpest turns out of valleys. These also make sure that views of distant landscapes open up on downgrades and on long curves, when they are less distracting. Closer to

9455-414: The Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River, opened on December 15, 1955. In the 1960s, I-287 was designated along the New York State Thruway between Suffern and Tarrytown, while I-87 ran farther to the east on present-day I-684. On January 1, 1970, the I-87 designation was shifted onto this portion of the New York State Thruway to run concurrent with I-287. The E-ZPass electronic toll collection system

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9610-499: The Thruway continues into West Nyack , it passes under CSX Transportation 's River Subdivision line before coming to the exit for NY 303 that provides access to the Palisades Center shopping mall to the south of the road. Past NY 303, I-87/I-287 turns to the east-southeast and passes near wooded areas as well as suburban neighborhoods of Central Nyack . It comes to another interchange with NY 59 that also provides access to US 9W . Within this interchange,

9765-414: The Thruway's Garden State Parkway Connector . Following this junction, I-87/I-287 continues east into the town of Clarkstown , coming to an exit for NY 59 . After this, the road passes to the north of Nanuet , crossing under NJ Transit/Metro-North Railroad's Pascack Valley Line . The freeway crosses under NY 304 before the cloverleaf interchange with the Palisades Interstate Parkway . As

9920-493: The Vincent R. Kramer Interchange, where the local–express lane configuration ends. Access from eastbound I-78 to southbound I-287 is only to the local lanes. Meanwhile, the express lanes of northbound I-287 provides access to westbound I-78 while the local lanes provide access to eastbound I-78. Following I-78, I-287 heads north with four northbound lanes and three southbound lanes into more wooded surroundings, reaching another interchange with US 202/US 206. At this point,

10075-444: The area. Several towns along the highway, such as Wanaque and Montville, saw increases in development. In addition, as the road was a bypass, it saw a significant increase in truck traffic wishing to bypass congested roads closer to New York City. The road also increased truck traffic on other north–south corridors, such as Route 31 , from truckers wanting to bypass the New Jersey Turnpike by using these surface roads to get between

10230-488: The automobile in American society and the demand for more public parks near crowded cities. Two separate agencies, the Taconic State Park Commission (TSPC) and Westchester County Parks Commission (WCPC), were its initial constructors, building different segments. In time a state authority would take over from them both, and then 18 years later itself yield up to its current administrator, the state Department of Transportation . It would take nearly four decades to complete from

10385-543: The change in its role from park access route and scenic drive to important regional transportation artery. Immigration and industrialization caused a major increase in New York City's population in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the summertime, many of these newer residents began looking for places to get away from the hot city and the densely populated tenements they lived in. The city's own parks and beaches were often overcrowded. Automobiles became more affordable, and by 1917 there were more cars than horses in

10540-476: The city. Drivers began taking to low-quality roads in search of parks outside the city, but were often disappointed after long drives to find that most of those parks were closed to nonresidents. In 1900, New York and New Jersey had jointly acquired the Palisades , the cliffs along the west side of the Hudson in both states, to protect them from further damage due to quarrying . Making it a park for city residents to visit on hot summer weekends had not been part of

10695-409: The commission relied on state DPW engineers for the rest of the construction. Most of the original parkway was surfaced in reinforced concrete . Officials favored it despite its higher initial cost as compared to asphalt since it was less likely to need repair over its 50-year lifespan and reflected more light at night, improving safety. Asphalt was used for repaving of segments to the south; today

10850-400: The community. The parkway then enters Exit 42, an interchange for NY 117 and Railroad Avenue. At Harris Road, NY 117 crosses over the parkway, paralleling the northbound lanes of the Saw Mill River Parkway on a nearby bypass. NY 117 soon merges into the Saw Mill River Parkway (Exit 43 southbound) before the Saw Mill River Parkway enters the right-of-way for I-684 , where

11005-505: The early days of construction. Some aspects of the original road remained consistent from end to end. The Westchester County sections were laid out by the county's parks commission based on the parkways they had already designed. Its engineers later worked on the design of the upper sections. In its early days, the Taconic State Parks Commission (TSPC) lacked the money to hire a full engineering staff, in spite of terrain that presented some major challenges. Its engineer, E.J. Howe, on loan from

11160-532: The east in the process then resumes its roughly northward heading up the Roaring Creek valley into Clarence Fahnestock State Park . For the next 5.5 miles (8.9 km) it will cross this 14,000-acre (5,700 ha) protected area of the eastern Hudson Highlands , with no development visible from the highway. The roadways begin to separate as the parkway's ascent continues through heavily wooded terrain past rocky cliffs and outcrops between two lakes. Next to

11315-489: The east of US 9W, descending into the Palisades . The last interchange in Rockland County is with US 9W and has no southbound exit. From here, the New York State Thruway crosses the Hudson River on the Tappan Zee Bridge east into the village of Tarrytown in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County . After passing over the river, the road crosses over Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line . After this,

11470-453: The east, with US 202 running immediately to the north of the road. Along this stretch, there is an exit for US 202 and Vreeland Avenue. Upon entering Montville , the passes near wooded residential areas before coming to another interchange with US 202. I-287 continues northeast from this point, drawing away from US 202, crossing under NJ Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line before running north-northeast through more woodland as

11625-447: The east. Just north of it, a short fork allows traffic to divert to NY 9A and 100, which split away toward Ossining . The Taconic continues north through a minimally developed area of low hills, past another exit serving Pleasantville, and then across another town line into New Castle . Route 100 returns to parallel the highway on the west again, then joins NY 133 at the next exit, serving Ossining and Millwood . About

11780-413: The eight-lane New York State Thruway, passing over Metro-North Railroad 's Port Jervis Line as it heads east out of the mountains into suburban residential and commercial surroundings as it narrows to six lanes. After passing through the village of Montebello , the freeway reaches an interchange with Airmont Road where it becomes the border between Montebello to the north and the village of Airmont to

11935-681: The exit for South Randolphville Road. Following this interchange, the road heads west more before it turns to the southwest and comes to an interchange with the northern terminus of Route 18 . After Route 18, the freeway comes to the CR ;622 (River Road) exit. After crossing over the Raritan River , I-287 enters Franklin Township , Somerset County , and becomes the Captain (Ret) Joseph Azzolina, US Navy Highway. Soon after

12090-431: The explosion spread into adjacent neighborhoods and injured 23 people. In the mid-1990s, a reversible HOV lane was proposed for the Cross Westchester Expressway in order to alleviate congestion at a planned cost of $ 365 million (equivalent to $ 667 million in 2023 ). In addition, a Metro-North Railroad line and a guided busway were considered to serve the I-287 corridor in Westchester County as alternatives to

12245-469: The freeway comes to the exit for US 9 that also serves the western terminus of NY 119 . I-87/I-287 continues east past woodland and business parks, leaving Tarrytown. The two routes then split; I-87 continues south on the New York State Thruway, while I-287 heads east on the Cross Westchester Expressway. This interchange also has access to and from the northbound Saw Mill River Parkway and NY 119. The Cross Westchester Expressway, which

12400-455: The freeway continues into South Plainfield , it passes near several business parks and comes to a partial interchange with Durham Avenue which only has a northbound exit and southbound entrance. At this point, the road starts to turn more west before it comes to a full junction with CR 529 . Here, the road enters Piscataway and reaches an interchange with CR 665 (Washington Avenue). Continuing near more business parks, I-287 comes to

12555-491: The freeway median widens again as it turns northeast before continuing more to the east and entering Far Hills . Within Far Hills, the road passes under CR 512 before the northbound direction narrows to three lanes and the wide median ends. Entering Bernards Township , I-287 runs east-northeast to an interchange with CR 525 . After the CR 525 interchange, the road gains a wide median that narrows again before

12710-573: The highway runs to the west of the Boonton Reservoir and immediately to the east of US 202/CR 511. I-287 comes to the Intervale Road exit, which carries US 202 and CR 511. The freeway enters Boonton , where it turns northeast, with NJ Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line located a short distance to the northwest. In Boonton, there is another interchange with US 202/CR 511. From here, I-287 curves more to

12865-572: The highway. Green Lane is also the first at-grade intersection on the Saw Mill River Parkway southbound. Crossing south of Bedford Hills Memorial Park, the Saw Mill River Parkway enters the hamlet of Bedford Hills . In Bedford Hills, the parkway enters Exit 39, which connects to the hamlet and NY 117 (Bedford Road). Also present at this interchange is the Bedford Hills Metro-North station. The parkway divides once again through Bedford Hills, paralleling NY 117 through

13020-430: The highway. The four-lane parkway winds north through Hastings-on-Hudson, passing through several suburban sections of town. Keeping in close contact with NY 9A, the Saw Mill River and the railroad grade, Exit 14 splits off southbound at Clarence Avenue. Exit 15 also forks off southbound at an intersection with Cliff Street before the Saw Mill River Parkway crosses into Dobbs Ferry . Upon entering Dobbs Ferry,

13175-484: The idea of a north–south parkway through the eastern Hudson Valley. In 1922, as part of its political reform efforts, the New York State Association (NYSA) published A State Park Plan For New York , the first such comprehensive plan for any state's parks. New York's few parks at that time had been managed by a loose combination of public and private interests, and all the land had been donated to

13330-495: The initial parkway proposal by TSPC chair Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1925 to the opening of the last segment in 1963, due in part to a lengthy hiatus resulting from World War II . Construction technology and highway design standards changed during the construction of the road, changes whose effect is still visible to drivers today. Since its completion it has been renovated, particularly in Dutchess and Westchester counties, reflecting

13485-503: The junction with the Cross Westchester Expressway and the New England Thruway in Rye and end at NY 135 and NY 25 in Syosset . Estimated to cost approximately $ 10 billion, it would feature three tubes: the outer tubes would have three lanes of vehicular traffic each and the inner tube would be used for maintenance. The proposed tunnel, which is to be operated by a private firm,

13640-447: The landscape." Albany-born novelist William Kennedy , whose family frequently drove the Taconic during his childhood to visit relatives farther south, called it "a 110-mile [180 km] postcard. It's the most beautiful road I've ever known—in all seasons." "You can drive it with confidence", said automotive writer David E. Davis . "There are no bad surprises about the way the road is engineered." Landscape architect Garret Eckbo called

13795-487: The last decades, with residential subdivisions and golf courses replacing the silos and haystacks as landmarks off the road. A long curve back to the northwest again takes the Taconic to the first of its two interchanges with NY 82 , at Arthursburg. Almost a mile to its north, the Arthursburg Road at-grade crossing was closed, and a southbound off-ramp and on-ramp were built. The road bends back north into

13950-480: The lower sections of the Taconic, save for sections like Fahnestock State Park where designers used them to enhance the scenic capabilities of the road and create recreational opportunities. As the road was extended north during the 1930s, it became clear that the wider medians improved safety without sacrificing beauty, and starting with the NY 52 exit in East Fishkill they were made a standard element of

14105-553: The mainline I-287 narrows to four lanes and enters the city of Rye , where it passes over the Northeast Corridor before merging into northbound I-95 about a half-mile (0.80 km) west of the Connecticut state line. In the 1950s, a limited-access highway was proposed to bypass New York City. This planned beltway would be incorporated into the new Interstate Highway System . The proposed beltway in New Jersey

14260-461: The median between I-84 and the NY 52 exit two miles (3.2 km) farther north. The road then bends back toward the northeast, reverting to a four-lane expressway , narrowing again through some wooded stretches over the next few miles to the Beekman Road ( County Route 9 or CR 9) exit. This area, rural and agricultural when the highway was built, has become more developed in

14415-549: The new Tappan Zee Bridge became one of the longest cable-stayed spans in the nation. In 2008, a private firm, Polimeni Associates, proposed to construct a more than 16-mile-long (26 km) tunnel across Long Island Sound between Rye and Oyster Bay. This proposed tunnel would be the longest highway tunnel in the world, with its length exceeding that of the Lærdal Tunnel in Norway by a mile (1.6 km). It would start at

14570-510: The new spans being built to the north of the existing bridge. The new bridge connects to the existing highway approaches of I-87 and I-287 on both river banks. The northbound/westbound span opened on August 25, 2017. Southbound/eastbound traffic remained on the old bridge until October 6, 2017. At that point, southbound/eastbound traffic shifted to the westbound span of the new bridge and the old bridge closed. The bridge's eastbound span opened to traffic on September 11, 2018. Upon completion,

14725-499: The north and White Plains to the south. Westchester Avenue becomes a frontage road for I-287 as the road passes corporate parks to the north and populated neighborhoods to the south. The road begins to turn southeast as it comes to a directional interchange with the southern terminus of I-684 . The I-287 freeway heads south along the White Plains–Harrison border before turning east and fully entering Harrison, where there

14880-469: The north separates that grade crossing from the one with Hollow Road ( CR 14 ) and takes the road into the town of Clinton . Another half-mile (800 m) north, at the next exit, NY 115 has its eastern terminus while Salt Point Turnpike continues. A slight western slant continues as the parkway traverses a landscape now thoroughly rural, with fields and woodlots alternating. Two more grade crossings, at Willow and Pumpkin lanes, follow through

15035-536: The north, after a small interchange with NY 141 , a three-level stack interchange allows access to the Saw Mill River Parkway northbound (and southbound from the southbound lanes). North of the interchange power lines and Saw Mill River Road ( New York State Route 9A or NY 9A and NY 100 ) on the west parallel the parkway past undeveloped Graham Hills County Park. The next exit, at Bedford Road ( NY 117 ), serves Pleasantville to

15190-461: The northbound Exit 32 connects to Hunts Place, which connects to NY 120. Running along a hillside in New Castle, the parkway becomes a divided highway for a short distance, becoming a two-lane roadway northbound. No interchange is present along this stretch and the lanes come back together just south of Exit 33, an at-grade intersection with Reader's Digest Road. At this interchange,

15345-542: The ones that had been built on I-80, were opened to all traffic in 1998 due to lack of HOV usage, and the state did not have to repay the federal government the $ 240 million (equivalent to $ 419 million in 2023 ) to build the lanes. In 2011, a small section of the northbound side of the highway in Boonton collapsed into the Rockaway River due to Hurricane Irene . Near the end of that year, five people and

15500-519: The original concrete remains only between the US ;44 and northern NY 82 exits. The changes in the design of the northern Taconic also reflect higher speeds that mid-century automobiles were capable of, and improvements in construction technology. The track -equipped steam shovels that broke ground for the first section in Putnam County in 1931 were the most advanced excavators of

15655-472: The park leaving to the east at grade from the northbound lanes where the highway enters the town of Taghkanic . Another half-mile (800 m) to the north is the second interchange with NY 82. North of that exit, the parkway bends to the northeast again, paralleling the orientation of the county as a whole. It crosses briefly into the town of Claverack , then back into Taghkanic before reentering Claverack as it heads due east briefly, then north again into

15810-413: The parkway and carrying it over roads, were faced in native stone. Grade intersections, usually a feature engineers tried to avoid, which initially helped keep local east–west routes open and connect the parkway to the landscape it traversed, have since either been closed or replaced by overpasses. As a result, the Taconic has been the subject of much praise over the years not only for its vistas but for

15965-540: The parkway begins paralleling the namesake river and NY 9A, now known as Saw Mill River Road, near the Runyon Heights neighborhood. The railroad grade returns near Odell Avenue overpass on the northbound side. Upon entering Exit 9, the parkway becomes a four-lane expressway and enters a series of signaled at-grade interchanges. The first is Exit 9, which serves Executive Boulevard in Yonkers. This

16120-407: The parkway crosses into Putnam County . The road narrows shortly after the county line in the town of Putnam Valley , with the roadways reverting to two lanes and the shoulders replaced by soft curbs, in preparation for the rugged terrain of the next 12 miles (19 km). From this point north, the original design of the Taconic is still intact for the most part, aside from safety improvements like

16275-475: The parkway enters an intersection with Lawrence Street (Exit 16) and becomes a four-lane freeway again, creeping closer to the New York State Thruway ( I-87 ). In Dobbs Ferry, the parkway enters Exit 17, the first full interchange since Tuckahoe Road, connecting to Ashford Avenue and NY 9A. Continuing northbound through Dobbs Ferry, the southbound parkway enters an intersection with Cyrus Field Road before crossing into Irvington . Through Irvington,

16430-557: The parkway has access to the former global headquarters of Reader's Digest and nearby NY 117 . The parkway continues northeast through the town of New Castle as a four-lane freeway, passing northwest of the Mount Kisco Country Club before entering the village of Mount Kisco . Just southwest of the Mount Kisco Metro-North station, the parkway and railroad fork in different directions, with

16585-489: The parkway terminates just east of Katonah . The Saw Mill Parkway started construction in 1926. By 1930, it had reached Route 119 in Elmsford. Construction had only reached Chappaqua by 1940 when World War II halted any further progress. The Saw Mill Parkway was constructed along the Saw Mill River along with a sewer which was to both drain sewage from Yonkers and act as flood control for points north. The full length of

16740-486: The parkway turning north into Exit 34, an interchange with NY 133 (West Main Street). In the northern reaches of Mount Kisco, Exit 36 services Croton Avenue from the southbound lanes. Just to the north, the Saw Mill River Parkway enters Exit 37, an interchange with Kisco Avenue. Now in the town of Bedford , the parkway enters Exit 38, a right-in/right-out interchange with Green Lane on both sides of

16895-423: The parkway until it reaches one of its straightest stretches, which then curves to the first grade-separated exit in several miles, US 44 , the other main route to Poughkeepsie, between Millbrook and Pleasant Valley. The road passes through a much more wooded area as it makes a long curve into its next junction, the grade intersection at Hibernia Road. A bridge over Wappinger Creek 0.1 miles (160 m) to

17050-588: The parkway was opened in 1955. The Parkway once fed into the accident-prone Hawthorne Circle , a former roundabout at the intersection of the Taconic Parkway extension from the Bronx River Parkway, Taconic State , and Saw Mill River parkways. In 1972 the circle was rebuilt as a three-level interchange. NYSDOT has maintained the Saw Mill River Parkway since 1980, after abolition of the East Hudson Parkway Authority. Under NYSDOT,

17205-411: The parkway's design. Wider medians were also a lot easier to build in Dutchess and Columbia counties, as the land is much flatter than in Putnam County. When the parkway was modernized and widened in Westchester County, wide medians were installed for most of the length between the Sprain Brook Parkway and the Putnam County line. The Taconic came into being as a result due to the increasing presence of

17360-574: The plan, but it quickly became one. Many residents could not get to it because of insufficient ferry capacity. Its success as a park led to the establishment of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission and the construction of Palisades Interstate Parkway to allow nonstop drives through scenic and wooded areas through Palisades Park up to the Bear Mountain Bridge . During his successful campaign for

17515-548: The primary routes to northern New England and the Capital Region of New York from the Hudson Valley , New York City and Long Island . The southern sections, particularly in Westchester County, have become a commuter route into the city for residents who moved into towns that became suburbanized as a result of the parkway. The state and regional transportation planners have worked to adapt to this change since

17670-678: The railroad line draws away. The freeway passes wooded residential neighborhoods prior to turning north and entering Mahwah , where it continues near more wooded suburban areas as well as the Campgaw Mountain Reservation to the west of the road. After passing to the east of the Ramapo College campus, I-287 passes over US 202. The freeway crosses the Ramapo River again before reaching an interchange with Route 17 . At this point, Route 17 forms

17825-582: The removal of all at-grade intersections. Curves become sharper, with the widest having a radius of 11,459 feet (3,493 m). It remains generally level for the first two miles (3.2 km), past the Bryant Pond Road exit serving Mahopac . The land around the road is heavily wooded and less developed than in Westchester. One mile (1.6 km) to the north, the road begins to descend 350 feet (110 m) in 1.1 miles (1.8 km) alongside

17980-683: The river, there is an interchange with CR 527 . After CR 527, the freeway makes a turn to the northwest and passes a mix of residential areas and business parks. The road has an interchange with CR 623 (Weston Canal Road) before crossing the Raritan River again and continuing into Bridgewater Township . Within Bridgewater Township, I-287 curves north-northwest and passes over Conrail Shared Assets Operations's Lehigh Line and then both NJ Transit 's Raritan Valley Line and CR 533 near TD Bank Ballpark , which

18135-541: The road crosses the Ramapo River before passing near neighborhoods and reaching a junction with US 202. After US 202, I-287 turns southeast and closely parallels the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway line to the southwest before entering Franklin Lakes and coming to an interchange with the northern terminus of Route 208 . Past this interchange, I-287 narrows to four lanes and turns northeast as

18290-556: The road returns to a northerly course, an exit allows entrance to Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park . It is followed by the Crompond Road ( U.S. Route 202 or US 202 and NY 35 ) exit, which serves Peekskill to the west as well as Yorktown. Just beyond it, the Bear Mountain State Parkway , a legacy of the Taconic's original planned route and purpose, leaves to the west as the road drops into

18445-565: The road runs under NJ Transit's Gladstone Branch , heading more to the northeast. Before leaving Bernards Township, there is an exit for North Maple Avenue. A short distance after this interchange, I-287 enters Harding Township , Morris County , at the crossing of the Passaic River , where it becomes the Marine Hector Cafferata Jr. Cong. Medal of Honor Highway. It continues northeast, with US 202 running

18600-504: The road, on the northern sections in Columbia and Dutchess counties, the road was routed to showcase a nearby view of wooded hillside or a farm. Since trucks were not permitted on the road—for some time, this even included privately owned pickup trucks used solely for personal use—in many sections tree branches overhang the roadways, creating a park-like canopy. The curve of the northbound AMVETS Memorial Bridge over Croton Reservoir echoes

18755-420: The roadway has an eastbound toll gantry for the Tappan Zee Bridge that allows tolls to be collected at highway speeds using E-ZPass or toll by mail . At this point, the New York State Thruway widens to eight lanes and turns to the south-southeast into the village of Nyack in the town of Orangetown , crossing over US 9W prior to passing near residential areas in the village of South Nyack as it runs to

18910-734: The sections from US 46 south to Route 10 in Hanover Township and from Bedminster north to Maple Avenue in Bernards Township opened. The segment of the highway between Maple Avenue and Route 24 opened in 1973, followed by the segment between Route 24 and Route 10 in early 1975, making I-287 a continuous road between the New Jersey Turnpike in Edison and US 202 in Montville. I-287's missing section between US 202 in Montville and

19065-431: The south. Continuing to the east, the New York State Thruway becomes the border between Monsey and Airmont before separating Monsey from the village of Chestnut Ridge to the south as it turns slightly to the east-southeast. After briefly running along the south edge of the village of Spring Valley , where there is a westbound toll gantry for trucks, the highway fully enters Chestnut Ridge. In this area, it comes to

19220-406: The south. Here, the freeway enters the village of Rye Brook in the town of Rye as it continues southeast. The Cross Westchester Expressway comes into the village of Port Chester , where the road runs near more dense suburban development as it intersects US 1 . At this point, the road has ramp access to and from the southbound direction of the New England Thruway ( I-95 ). From here,

19375-413: The southbound direction gains a fourth lane as the median narrows. The freeway enters more developed areas as it comes to the Route 124 interchange. From this point, the road becomes eight lanes total, with four in each direction, as it passes west of Morristown Medical Center . After crossing under NJ Transit's Morristown Line , it reaches the exit for CR 510 . From CR 510, I-287 makes

19530-449: The southbound direction. Past this point, the road turns more to the northwest and passes under Conrail Shared Assets Operations 's Bonhamtown Industrial Track line and a railroad spur before it comes to the junction with Route 27 ( Lincoln Highway ). Following Route 27, I-287 narrows to six lanes and passes over Amtrak 's Northeast Corridor as it continues to a southbound exit and northbound entrance with CR 501 . As

19685-596: The southbound lanes via an underpass with on/off ramp. The two roadways descend and come together again by the Mountain Road grade crossing. It climbs a hill after the McDonnell Road crossing, then descends to the Rossway Road crossing. A quarter-mile (400 m) to the north, a dead-end road leaves the northbound lanes for the nearby Taconic–Hereford Multiple Use Area. Several other local roads cross

19840-405: The southbound local and express lanes have access to southbound US 202/US 206 at this interchange, whereas northbound US 202/US 206 only has access to the local lanes of northbound I-287. From here, the road continues north past suburban residential areas, with the northbound direction narrowing to two local lanes, before entering Bedminster . Here, I-287 intersects I-78 at

19995-423: The state Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), the fourth agency to have that responsibility. Franklin D. Roosevelt , who had long envisioned a scenic road through the eastern Hudson Valley , was instrumental in making it a reality as a way to provide access to existing and planned state parks in the region. Its winding, hilly route was designed by landscape architect Gilmore Clarke to offer scenic vistas of

20150-453: The state since the legislature would not appropriate money for any park outside a city. Cross Westchester Expressway Interstate 287 ( I-287 ) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US states of New Jersey and New York . It is a partial beltway around New York City , serving northern New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in New York. I-287, which

20305-428: The state's Department of Public Works (DPW), frequently complained about the commission's directive that he plan a route only where it had the land or expected to buy it, instead of planning a route and then buying the land. He also began negotiations with landowners, and his position was eliminated from the commission's budget after three years. His successor clashed with his superiors as well, and after he left in 1933

20460-506: The surrounding cemetery of that name. The road then becomes a four-lane freeway and crosses over the train line into a wooded area where the two roadways split wide apart, merging with the Sprain Brook Parkway . At the merge, the Taconic continues north as a wider, six-lane freeway. For the remainder of Westchester County, the Taconic has been rebuilt, widened, and modernized to meet the needs of commuter growth, bearing little resemblance to its original design. A thousand feet (300 m) to

20615-471: The surrounding hills. On the medians and berms, plantings were carefully planned to maintain continuity with the surrounding woods. On the descent into Peekskill Hollow in Putnam Valley , the trees and shrubs above the retaining wall on the east side were transplanted from the path of the highway, which retained the appearance of the local forest and saved money. Overpasses, both carrying roads over

20770-477: The terrain levels out again, it widens and begins to assume its scenic character in a growing, exurban area with at-grade intersections. Its northernmost section, located on the ridges between the Hudson Valley and the Taconic Mountains along the state borders to the east, offers mountain and hilltop vistas as the road itself continues to curve gently through bucolic surroundings. This winding route contributes to its 104.12-mile (167.56 km) length, which makes

20925-507: The terrain starts to get more mountainous. This stretch of I-287 continues for six miles (9.7 km) before its next exit. The freeway runs through Kinnelon , where the northbound direction has four lanes, and Pequannock Township before entering Riverdale . In Riverdale, there is an interchange with Route 23 . A short distance later, I-287 reaches the CR 694 interchange which provides access to CR 511 Alternate (CR 511 Alt.). Immediately after this, I-287 crosses over

21080-414: The time. Over the next decade, the cost of moving a cubic yard dropped to almost half of what it had been in the early 1920s. Later in the parkway's development, engineers began using aerial photographs to plan the route. The road's drainage system had some special features designed to avoid detracting from its scenic qualities. The roadway was crowned, with storm drain grates at the edge since there

21235-420: The town of Ghent , with two more at-grade intersections, one of which being Rigor Hill Road, which features a gas station right on the side of the parkway. The Taconic continues to the north from here for five miles (8.0 km) more, crossing into the town of Chatham , with an exit for NY 203 shortly after. The parkway continues north through Chatham, where signs warn drivers that the NY 295 exit

21390-410: The town of LaGrange to the next exit a half-mile (800 m) beyond, at Noxon Road ( CR 21 ), a new exit accessible only to northbound traffic via an off-ramp. The road widens through a wooded area and then narrows past another service area just before Todd Hill Road. The road drops to cross a creek, then rises again to the NY 55 exit, one of two roads serving the city of Poughkeepsie to

21545-547: The town of Milan and climbs slowly through generally wooded area, passing another grade crossing at Cold Spring Road. The next exit, at NY 199 , is the last in Dutchess County. After another long bend east, the Taconic goes north again and crosses into Columbia County just past Roeliff Jansen Kill Multiple Use Area and the Jackson Corners Road ( CR 2 ) exit. The parkway terrain in Columbia

21700-572: The turn, Exit 27 comes at-grade, a junction with Marble Avenue, which connects to NY 141. The parkway runs along a short westbound stretch as a four-lane expressway, crossing into the village of Pleasantville . Going northward in Pleasantville, Exit 28 forks off northbound only to Bedford Road, which connects to downtown Pleasantville. Proceeding southbound, Exit 29 accesses NY 117 (Pleasantville Road). The parkway turns northeast and enters Exit 30 for Grant Street near

21855-552: The two bridges over New Croton Reservoir , part of the New York City water supply system . Once on the other side, in the town of Yorktown, they converge again to their previous width. The next exit, at Underhill Avenue, provides access to downtown Yorktown and the reservoir. Past the Baldwin Road exit a half mile (0.80 km) north of Underhill, the Taconic curves westward along the south side of Mohansic Lake . When

22010-505: The way it harmonizes with the surrounding landscape. Sociologist Lewis Mumford , who often criticized the effect of superhighway construction on contemporary cities, always advised friends traveling up from New York to visit him at his house in Amenia that they should take the Taconic. He described it as "a consummate work of art, fit to stand on a par with our loftiest creations". The engineers, he said, had avoided "brutal assaults against

22165-425: The west, near Freedom Plains . Its slow undulation with the landscape continues past the now closed Skidmore Road grade crossing as it heads due north into the town of Pleasant Valley and the less developed half of Dutchess County. The roadways separate widely (750 feet or 230 metres) again for a mile in the woods east of James Baird State Park . An entry road forks to the left from the northbound lanes and crosses

22320-537: The west. A grade crossing with a flashing overhead warning beacon was replaced in 2000 by a grade-separated exit, making the Appalachian Trail 's crossing here less hazardous. The Taconic levels off into a narrow section bearing due northeast along Hosner Mountain's steep west slope, with stone walls on either side. This ends after a mile with the Interstate ;84 (I-84) interchange. North of

22475-671: The western terminus of the Cross County Parkway . Immediately after the Cross County, the parkway narrows to four lanes, and Exit 5 forks off on a 180-degree turn for Yonkers Avenue and nearby Dunwoodie Golf Course. The parkway enters Exit 5A, which services Palmer Road in Northwest Yonkers. Winding northward through Yonkers, the Saw Mill River Parkway enters Exit 7, a ramp to NY 9A and Tuckahoe Road via Rossiter Avenue. After Exit 7,

22630-544: Was completed in December 2012, nine months ahead of schedule. In late 2018, NYSDOT began installing ramp meters on entrance ramps to I-287 in Rockland and Westchester Counties. More are expected to be installed by 2020. The Tappan Zee Bridge , carrying the concurrency of New York State Thruway , I-87, and I-287, was a cantilever bridge built during 1952–1955. The bridge was three miles (4.8 km) long and spanned

22785-567: Was designated as FAI Corridor 104 and later received the I-287 designation in 1958. The southern segment of I-287 was planned in the 1950s as the Middlesex Freeway, which was to run from the Outerbridge Crossing to Staten Island and follow the Route 440 corridor to Edison, where it would connect to the New Jersey Turnpike before continuing west to I-78. From here, the freeway would parallel US 202 north to

22940-540: Was first introduced on this segment of the Thruway at the Spring Valley and Tappan Zee Bridge toll plazas in 1993. The same year, an interchange in Suffern opened providing access to the newly opened New Jersey portion of I-287. In 1997, tolls for cars were eliminated at the Spring Valley toll plaza, with tolls remaining for trucks and other commercial vehicles. The I-87/I-287 interchange split near Tarrytown began

23095-618: Was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its historic importance in the development of parkways in the 20th century, and Roosevelt's role in creating it. It is the second-longest continuous road listed on the Register after Virginia's Skyline Drive , and the longest limited-access highway. The parkway continues to provide access to several state parks, including Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park . It has also become an important regional artery, one of

23250-479: Was no shoulder , to keep water from forming deep puddles that could cause accidents (these have been eliminated from modernized sections of the parkway in Westchester). The soft hand- fluted curbs also helped channel runoff to the basins, and in the median strips a central trench took water to underground pipes which drain into local streams. The median strips themselves were not part of the original design on

23405-576: Was originally designated as Interstate 187 ( I-187 ), opened in 1960 as Interstate 487 ( I-487 ) before later becoming part of I-287. The New York State Thruway portion of I-287, which included a crossing of the Hudson River, opened in 1955. In New Jersey, the proposed I-287 had originally been designated as FAI Corridor 104 and incorporated what was planned as the Middlesex Freeway . The New Jersey section of I-287 between

23560-489: Was planned around 1950 as part of a tolled limited-access highway that was to connect the major cities of New York. A bridge across the Hudson River was planned between Nyack and Tarrytown at a site that was close enough to New York City but far enough from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 's jurisdiction area, as they opposed the crossing. The portion of the Thruway currently followed by I-287, including

23715-471: Was planned through mountainous areas in 1973, but this was rejected as the cost of building the road through the mountains was too high. In 1977, the current alignment of I-287 was proposed between Montville and Suffern; this was approved by the federal government in 1982 as it was less costly than the western alignment and went through less developed areas than the eastern alignment. Permits allowing construction to begin on this segment were issued in 1988 by

23870-550: Was supposed to have the I-187 designation. However, by the time the highway opened, it was officially designated as I-487 instead. At a cost of $ 50 million (equivalent to $ 395 million in 2023 ), the Cross Westchester Expressway was opened December 1960. Later in the 1960s, this segment of road was redesignated I-287 to make it a part of the beltway around New York City. I-287 was to continue past I-95 in Port Chester and

24025-608: Was to cross Long Island Sound via the unbuilt Oyster Bay–Rye Bridge . On Long Island , the route would run along the Seaford–Oyster Bay Expressway ( NY 135 ). Then, I-287 was again to be extended into Jones Beach by merging with the Wantagh State Parkway in Merrick . The plans for the bridge, and the I-287 extension onto Long Island, were dropped in 1973 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller as

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